Deshaun Watson is out for the rest of the season. He suffered an Achilles injury during the Cleveland Browns’ loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7 and faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines. The Browns started the season 1-6 with him as the quarterback, and although the team has managed to win only two more games since then, both the defense and offense have played much better.
Watson still has two years left on the $230 million fully guaranteed deal he signed after being traded to Cleveland. However, there are rumors that the Browns might look to replace him this offseason, and franchise owner Jimmy Haslam recently discussed the situation.
Jimmy Haslam Talks About Deshaun Watson and Kevin Stefanski
Haslam spoke to ESPN before the NFL owners meetings on Dec. 11, and he was quite surprised about how the season has played out for the AFC North franchise. “We went from 11-6 and making the playoffs to 3-10, so it’s a little perplexing what happened,” said the Browns owner.
#Browns owner Jimmy Haslam told @espn he’s perplexed by Cleveland’s 3-10 record, Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry are right pieces in place.
On QB outlook: ‘We need to get through the season and we will look at everything.’ https://t.co/Sb3nWatooi
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) December 12, 2024
He was then asked whether the team has the right players to help head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry, to which he replied, “I do. We do. We’re very supportive.”
Stefanski has a record of 40-40 in five seasons with the Browns and has been named the Coach of the Year twice. He and Berry signed contract extensions before the start of the current NFL season, and no matter how badly the team performs in the remaining games, they are expected to keep their job.
Everyone knows that Watson’s situation with Cleveland is quite complicated. When asked about the team’s quarterback situation amid Watson’s injury, Haslam added, “We need to get through the season, and we will look at everything.”
Earlier reports indicated that the Browns will look to add competition to their quarterback room this offseason. Since the team doesn’t have a good record, they’ll have an opportunity to draft a quarterback who could sit behind Watson for a year or two before he eventually takes over.
Browns Have Looked Better Without Watson on the Field
As evidenced by last season’s run to the playoffs and the exciting football that the team has played with Jameis Winston at quarterback, the Browns play better without Watson.
The results are not much different with Winston, but the team has shown fight, which they lacked while Watson was on the field at the start of the season.
A few weeks ago, Troy Aikman, the legendary Dallas Cowboys quarterback, highlighted how the Browns usually play much better without Watson. He mentioned that if Winston had had an opportunity to start earlier, this season wouldn’t have been such a mess for Cleveland.
Cleveland is in a very difficult spot. Releasing Watson will not be an ideal financial decision because it will handicap the rest of the team. Although the chances of this happening are slim, some still believe Watson can turn back the clock and play like he did in Houston.